Apostrophe (’)

Apostrophes showing possession

Singular nouns and most personal names

With a singular noun or most personal names: add an apostrophe plus s:

We met at Ben’s party.

The dog’s tail wagged rapidly.

Yesterday’s weather was dreadful.

Apostrophes showing omission

An apostrophe can be used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted. Here are some examples of apostrophes that indicate missing letters:

I’m - short for I am

he’ll - short for he will

she’d – short for she had or she would

pick ‘n’ mix - short for pick and mix

it’s hot - short for it is hot

didn’t - short for did not

Apostrophes and plural forms

The general rule is that you should not use an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns, abbreviations, or dates made up of numbers: just add -s (or -es, if the noun in question forms its plural with -es). For example:

euro	euros	(e.g. The cost of the trip is 570 euros.)
pizza	pizzas	(e.g. Traditional Italian pizzas are thin and crisp.)
apple	apples	(e.g. She buys big bags of organic apples and carrots.)
MP	MPs	(e.g. Local MPs are divided on this issue.)
1990	1990s	(e.g. The situation was different in the 1990s.)

It’s or its?

These two words can cause a lot of confusion: many people are uncertain about whether or not to use an apostrophe. These are the rules to remember:

• its (without an apostrophe) means ‘belonging to it’:

The dog wagged its tail.

Each case is judged on its own merits.

• it’s (with an apostrophe) means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’:

It’s been a long day.

It’s cold outside.

It’s a comfortable car and it’s got some great gadgets.

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